while it may already be a known tactic, when i play Haka if i have (i forget the name of the card, the one that increases damage to the highest hp villain +1 and reduces damage to everyone else -1) handy i'll always put that in play before Rampage. That way, the damage to the strongest enemy is increased and (more importantly) collateral damage to allies is decreased
Punish the Weak actually increases damage to the lowest HP villain. Which is much better for rampage if the villain's minions have less than 6 HP. Though unfortunately it makes it harder to hurt the strongest villain if you can't eliminate all his minions. (Definately the damage reduction to the other heroes makes it a good combo with Rampage regardless).
It's not specifically the lowest-hp villain, but the lowest-hp non-hero target, a distinction that'll come into play if there are environment targets present.
You know, I'd never actually thought of playing that one as a combo with Rampage - the fact that it'd reduce damage dealt to fellow heroes isn't a thought that's ever occurred to me. Then again, I don't play Haka that often so may be guilty of not having fully read the card properly in order to realise that :P.
I have added a section for the Eternal Haka.
Anecdote about Enduring Intercession : it was really useful in a recent game against Dawn in the Pike complex. Witht he help of Ta Moko, it allowed the two supercooled trisolvent vats to work for the heroes, damaging only the villains. Of course, the final chemical explosion incapacitated Haka, but the other members of the team survived long enough to win. Very situational card, but sacrificing Haka can make the difference in a close game, especially if environment targets both heroes and villains.
Agreed, Haka is one of my favorites as well. He gets played a lot and never has a bad game in my group. I'm really shocked when people say that he is underpowered.
One important thing to note is that Ground Pound says "Non-Hero cards cannot deal damage" which is very different from being immune to damage. For example with a Ground Pound out Fanatic can still hurt targets of Embolden, Haka can still hurt the heros with a Rampage, Nightmist still hurts herself and possibly other heros in all kinds of ways.
Note: I don't have the card in front of me, I did a google search for the text. If it does say "Heros are immune to damage" then the opposite is true. I know that Grease Gun in particular makes non-heros unable to do damage so this argument is true with that card for sure.
True story. There's a difference, in fact, between Grease Gun and Ground Pound. Ground Pound says "Non-Hero cards" can't deal damage. Grease Gun says "Non-Hero targets". So the way I rule it, Hallway Collapse, Primordial Plant Life, and Checmical Explosions still deal their damage if Fixer Grease Gunned, but not if Haka Ground Pounded.
Anyway, I'll change it.
One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that Dominion is not limited. So if you get multiples of it, you'll be drawing piles of cards every time an environment card is destroyed. Since on average usually one environment card is destroyed each turn (barring something like Rooftop Combat, or environment cards accumulating), this gives you massive card draw every turn, which Haka can use to very good effect in a variety of ways.
unless you believe the insane stories in the topic about isolated heroo and incapacitated abiltiies
So, please let me know if I'm doing this wrong, but I really want to discuss the newer promos that haven't been discussed in these guides yet, even if I end up necroposting a bunch of really old guide/threads, and it does seem like the best place to discuss them, since they're linked in the wiki and all.
So: Prime Warden Haka
Guardian: Play a card. If that card has "Haka" in the title, you may apply it's effects to a target other than Haka.
I haven't played him yet, but does this just seem really really good to anyone else? The big reason I often don't get a Dominion out with Haka, is because I really need him to do a bunch of damage, and I'm limited by my one card played per turn. The extra play would seem to allow him to get set up very quickly, while being able to buff/protect his teammates to an insane degree. 2 Dominions out and he's on the way to becoming unstoppable, and that can be in one turn. Anyone played with that variant much and have more strategy to offer?
Dominion is good to play if you're in a target-heavy environment, or one with nasty cards which other people are likely to be destroying a lot. I think it's always good to try and get a big hand no matter which Haka you're playing (it's easier to do with Eternal Haka thanks to his base power), just so you can explode at someone with a most-of-your-deck-fuelled Haka of Battle (if the attack being buffed is a most-of-other-decks-filled Savage Mana then all the better :D).
With the Prime Warden Haka, I suppose you're limited by how many cards you have in hand in order to actually be able to play them. If you play two cards a turn then you're gonna get through your hand pretty quickly. Mere can help with that, in fact I'd say it could be more reliable than Dominion since I think Mere lets you draw a card even if you don't hit someone with it (if the target is immune, for example). Dominion only lets you draw a card when an environment card (or is it target?) is destroyed, which doesn't always happen a lot depending on the environment.
Also, to use the base power, it's Haka who has to discard in order to bestow the effect of his Haka card on someone else. So you could still do with a big hand like on either of the other Hakas, it's just that this time you're using your main effects to boost other people rather than yourself. I only really use Haka of Battle anyway, when I do play Haka (I like Eternal Haka for this reason). I haven't played Prime Warden Haka yet myself but I can imagine that the other Hakas might actually see some use, if you know someone's gonna get hit by something nasty during the environment/villain turn, for example and can let them soak it with a Haka of Shielding (a card I don't think I've ever used, along with Enduring Intercession).
PlatinumWarlock listed a guide about Promo versions and this post has Haka in it https://greaterthangames.com/comment/52794#comment-52794
For me when I play Haka I will play his various Haka cards for extra card draw and take the minor effect from those. With this promo version, the main changes for me would be that Dominion and Ta Moko would take more precedence in being played with my initial play and trying to setup use of one of those Haka cards for the power phase sending it out to whomever it's more helpful too. It would also make me less inclined to play Savage Mana depending how things play out since I wouldn't be dealing as much damage.
I used Prime Wardens Haka to give Horrid Skunk Ape a damage boost to help defeat Iron Legacy in our game last night =)
Once was with Haka of Battle, once was with the incapacitated ability.. /ironlegacy
That's awesome.
Wow, I'd've never thought of buffing an environment target. Lol, that's really cool :D.
We do it all the time with Sky Scraper. Increase it's damage through a different hero, slap two aggression modulaters on it, and itll power through all the villians
Making the environment take down the villain is extremely satisfying. We've had the Sheriff take down Ambuscade and Baron Blade a number of times, and in one game, Ambuscade got shot dead by Police Backup.
just got done playnig a game with Haka, the Sentinels, and Omnitron-X fighting against Grand Warlord Voss in Insula Primalis(we randomized for the evil duder and the where at, guess it was a time-travel Comic). Anyways, thanks to the Flamethrower49's guide here, the fight ended up WAY smoothly. While Haka didn't deal the finishing blow, he most certainly did MASSIVE damage.
Also, friend of mine asked what gave Haka his power, like science or tech or what. I looked him right in the eye, and as neutral-faced as I could, I replied "Haka is Haka powered."
Villains never die… 